


Wingman

by bananagirl-97 (therideisfarfromover)



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Avocadoes at Law, Foggy Nelson Is a Good Bro, Law School, Matt Murdock & Foggy Nelson Friendship, Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson at Columbia, Matt Murdock is a Good Bro, Matt is a wounded handsome duck, Matt is bad at relationships, Multi, One Shot Collection, Students, wingman foggy nelson, wingman matt murdock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26988133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therideisfarfromover/pseuds/bananagirl-97
Summary: "I'm only going to say this once and we can move on. You don't necessarily show the best judgement when beautiful women are involved, Matt." Foggy Nelson would know. He's been Matt Murdock's wingman since they were at college after all. A collection of one-shots, mostly set in the university days, about Matt and Foggy's friendship when 'beautiful women' show up on the scene.
Relationships: Franklin "Foggy" Nelson/Marci Stahl, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson/Original Female Character(s), Matt Murdock & Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Matt Murdock/Claire Temple, Matt Murdock/Elektra Natchios, Matt Murdock/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Morning Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> Considering that I've already watched the whole series more than once, it only seemed right that I do a little bit of writing… Also, Matt and Foggy are like the ultimate bromance so I couldn't not. Each chapter of this will be a short piece, exploring Matt and Foggy's love lives throughout their friendship. Mostly from their college days but not all of them. Not chronological but I think I make it pretty clear when each one is set.
> 
> [Reupload of a story I posted on FF.net as bananagirl.97]

"hmmmmm." The girl sighed as Matt stirred awake. She glanced over at the bed on the other side of the room then back to the boy in bed with her.

"Hey, your roommate is still asleep. Do you want to go for one more round?"

Matt heard it as Foggy stiffened in his bed, and his heartbeat increased. His friend was most definitely already awake. And as much as he was enjoying the very soft hand that was slipping further under his bedsheets- he couldn't put his best friend through that. "I don't think that's the best idea. You should probably go get cleaned up, and I'll catch you in class later."

Although he couldn't see her expression, from her prolonged silence and the feel of her body, he could tell that she wasn't impressed. He quickly thought of something to get her back on his side. "And hey, who knows? Maybe I'll need help walking back to my room after class. I am blind and powerless of course."

She chuckled and leant close to his ear. "After last night, I'm not so sure about the latter." She kissed him quickly before he felt her heat leave his bed and he heard her get clothed and leave the dorm room. As soon as she did, he breathed a huge sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair.

"Foggy, I know you're awake, buddy."

Foggy rolled over and sat up. "Oh thank God, I didn't want to listen to your awkward, blind sex and then hear you apologise to every saint in the Catholic Church as soon as you climaxed."

Matt laughed. "First of all, just because I'm blind, it doesn't mean the sex is awkward. And I totally don't do the other thing."

"Really? Because that's what Ruth Hollens has been telling everyone."

"Shit."

"I told you she wasn't a good choice Matt. This never would have happened if you listened to your wingman."

Matt smiled, stretching his arms behind his head. "That's probably true."

"Probably?" Foggy mimicked Matt. "You know it's true, damn it."

He went on. "Anyway, so who was this one?"

Matt snorted as he replied, "You make it sound like I have so many."

"Because you do! I love you bro, but I've got to be honest- for a Catholic, you're kind of a slut."

His eyebrows shrugged. "I could be a lot worse."

Foggy smirked, and then decided he wanted Matt to know he was. "I'm smirking by the way."

The other boy laughed again.

"Now tell me Murdock, who was the girl?"

He sighed, his hands rummaging on the side to find his glasses. "Her name is Lydia. From my Philosophy and Ethics class. She's been flirting with me for the last month, and I eventually caved and told her to come in as soon as I realised you weren't here."

"What? She heard that you were a good little Catholic boy and wanted to corrupt you?"

Matt licked his lips, and though he shook his head replied, "Something like that."

"You're weak, Matt."

"As if you're not?"

"Touche."

"I've got to ask. Is she hot?"

Foggy grabbed a baseball from the side of his bed and chucked it at his friend. "Of course she was hot! Since when are the girls you sleep with not hot?"

"Well you know that I wouldn't know."

"Oh you know. I don't know how you do, but you must."

Matt crossed his arms across his bare chest. "And why's that?"

Foggy's voice ascended, "Because in the year and a bit that I've known you, you're yet to get with a girl that is any less than an 8.3."

"8.3?" Matt questioned with a smile.

"Tori."

"Didn't you say she looked like a Scandinavian princess?"

"I was so drunk when I said that. Also, she did, but I'm not really into blondes."

"Well we both know that's not true."

Foggy blushed, and was relieved that Matt couldn't see it.

"So anyway, where were you last night?"

Matt's voice alerted Foggy back to his surroundings. "I was actually being the responsible one for once, unbelievably."

"You? responsible? You're right I don't believe it." His face lit up with a cheeky grin.

"I was in the library until late. I have that paper due in for my History module and I hadn't really done anything for it."

"You mean the one I finished a week ago?" Matt asked smugly.

"Don't get sassy with me, Matthew Murdock. I will lock you out the room and barricade the door!"

"I'll just stay with Lydia."

"Lydia will probably only be around for like a month- remember that you're stuck with me forever."

Matt's expression suddenly changed and he sat up straighter. He moved his head so that he was looking as closely as he could in Foggy's direction. Foggy waited for him to say whatever it was that had suddenly come on his mind. "Is that a promise?"

"Is what a promise?" Foggy asked confused.

"That I'll be stuck with you forever?"

The blonde boy was taken by surprise by Matt's question, and a wistful smile fell on his face. "I think so."

Matt smiled back, as he pushed his dark glasses up his face. "Good."

Foggy felt a wave of emotion hit him, but quickly supressed it. Super cool manly future lawyers didn't get emotional about their best friend. That wasn't how they rolled.

"Stop being sentimental and let's get our asses to class. No law firm will want to hire us if all we have is one year's worth of the degree."

"No law firm will want to hire you unless you actually study, Foggy."

Foggy rolled his eyes and smiled as him and Matt returned to their banter.


	2. Arguments and Annebriation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "God, I love non-studying, fun Matt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? An update? How is this? Well. Hello again. I was overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter so I hope that this next one doesn't disappoint. Stay solid. Oh- and btw, after having actually done some background reading on the comic book characters (Daredevil only really entered my life after the series- sorry), I have gone back and made a few subtle changes in the first chapter to make it a bit more accurate.

Foggy meandered down the familiar corridors in the block in which his room was. They had nearly finished their second year of college so knowing their way around campus was second nature to both him and Matt by now. He noticed sometimes that Matt could even do it without his cane. As he got closer to their room however, Foggy's eyebrows creased worryingly. He could hear yelling. A lot of yelling. Which seemed to just get louder as he got closer to their room. He hesitated outside the door and 'tried' to avoid eavesdropping.

"I think you need to calm down," he heard Matt say in an unnervingly neutral tone considering the girl's shouts could be heard from the stairwell.

"You did not just say that to me, Matthew Murdock."

Matt laughed. Foggy shook his head- that probably wasn't the wisest thing to do when you were getting assaulted with words. "You've come here and yelled at me for 10 minutes straight because one of your friends saw me exchanging notes with another girl. We were sharing notes."

She scoffed. "I don't believe you. Everyone knows you flirt like no one's business."

"That doesn't mean that I'm cheating on you!" his voice ascended and Foggy's hand hovered over the doorknob, not sure of whether to step in or not. "You're being delusional."

He heard something fly across the room, before the door flew open in front of him and a very angry woman stepped out.

"Hi Franky." She muttered as she stormed off past him down the corridor.

"It's Foggy," he tried to call after her even though he knew it was futile. "Well, bye Elektra!" Foggy shook his head before turning around to enter the room that she had just left. He stepped over the broken mug on the ground and sat timidly on the corner of his bed.

Matt was lying back on his own bed, his arms flung across his face, covering his lens covered eyes. "Why do I do this to myself?"

Foggy shrugged, before remembering himself. "Oh, I shrugged."

Matt sat up and sighed. "That girl has serious anger issues."

"At least she is ridiculously hot?" Foggy offered.

He felt Matt's directionless glare burn a hole through him. "I can't really appreciate that Foggy. As you well know."

"She's also…" he struggled to find the end of his sentence. He didn't really know her that well since she was Matt's friend from Spanish. At a loss for words he said the first thing he could think of. "Greek."

Matt sniggered. "I'm glad that you've been paying attention Foggy."

Foggy rolled his eyes. "Well she's the longest you've been with one girl since I've known you, so she must be doing something right."

"I guess," Matt sighed. If he was being honest, the fact that his record for longest relationship was only 3 months was pretty depressing. His abilities always seemed to get in the way of relationships for him. Matt could always tell if they were lying or keeping something from him. And most of them wanted him to flaunt her on his arm, when he really wasn't very good at the whole commitment thing. His mind was a dark place and he often felt that he didn't want to burden a woman with that.

Foggy paused for a few moments before clapping his hands together and drawing Matt's attention. "You're clearly not having a good night, buddy. But it's okay, because your amazing best friend Foggy Nelson is going to make everything better."

"Ha!" Matt laughed tonelessly. "How exactly are you planning to do that, Foggy?"

"Get you drunk of course!"

Matt sat up and ruffled his hair. "Now that-is not a half bad idea."

Foggy scoffed. "Well of course it isn't, I came up with it. Now let's go. The night is young, and I want to live it up."

Matt leaned over the side of his bed to grab his cane, and then stood up and waited for Foggy to stand in his usual position so that he could grab his elbow. "Let us go, my sturdy wingman."

Foggy raised an eyebrow, and turned to Matt next to him. "Sturdy?"

"I don't know, what I'm saying, I just had a crazy ass Greek girl throw a mug at me."

Foggy smiled as he felt Matt give his elbow a gentle squeeze. "It's going to be a good night, my friend."

Matt and Foggy wandered across the familiar campus to try and find their favourite bar. They were always given cheap drinks there, even when they caused a lot of trouble. Foggy was pretty sure that the only reason that they kept being let in there was because the owner had a massive crush on Matt. This wasn't unusual, and by now, was expected by Foggy. Oh well, it meant they could drink so he wasn't going to complain. As they approached the all too familiar door; Matt's face broke into a massive smile.

"You're smiling already- how can you tell that we're here?" Foggy asked, amazed at the way Matt sensed things.

Matt made a face as if it were obvious. "Please, you can smell this place a mile off."

Foggy took in a deep breath, which evolved into choking on the air. "You sure as hell got that right, buddy."

"Now let's get out of this damned cold and get some alcohol in our systems."

Foggy threw his arm around Matt's shoulder and cheered. "God, I love non-studying, fun Matt."

Matt laughed as he pushed the door open to the vivid smells of the bar. As they were regulars, they were able to recognise all the other regulars too. The 3rd year BA Literature student who was dumped by his medicine studying girlfriend and still wasn't over it. The lesbian couple whose parents still thought that they were 'gal pals'. Jake Adams- another student from their law programme who must spend a hell of a lot more time drinking than reading textbooks. Matt had come to recognise each of their smells, though of course Foggy was unaware of this. This was evident by the way that Foggy sprung into his usual narration.

"Looks like we're not the only Columbia students to roll in tonight. J. A is here- of course. Sally and Georgie are over in a corner booth being all cute and cuddly and shit, Joe is still crying over Tilda. Who would you like to sidle over to tonight?"

Matt grumbled. "I'm not in the mood for them tonight. Can we just pull up to the bar and drink- just you and me?"

"That is never a problem dear Matthew." Foggy guided Matt towards the end two seats at the bar and waited for him to sit down before hopping up on to stool himself. The bartender headed in their direction and gave them a half- smile.

"How drunk you boys looking to get tonight?" he asked leaning on the bar in front of them, and making the pair chuckle.

Matt and Foggy shared a significant look before turning towards to the man addressing them. "As drunk as you'll let us." Foggy smirked.

"I'll help with that."

And oh he did. Drink after drink slammed the bar: whiskey, tequila, Sambuca, rum, jager… shots of different colours, strengths- the only thing they had in common was that they were quickly sending Matt and Foggy down the path of not remembering a single minute of this in the morning. Their laughs got louder, the causes for them more ridiculous, and everyone else was enjoying the sight. Although the two young men were often at the bar; Matt was always sensible with his drink, and this was most definitely the messiest he had ever been.

Foggy cracked up as he wrapped Matt's scarf around both of them, and leant his forehead against his best friend's.

Matt pulled a disgusted face and pulled away suddenly, nearly throwing himself of a stool. "Please don't kiss me Foggy. I'm pretty sure that I'd never get the taste out my mouth."

Foggy punched his arm in response, causing Matt to let out an audible 'ouch.'

Matt giggled like a teenage girl, rubbing his arm stupidly. "You just hit me."

"Yeah I did." Foggy tried to keep a straight face but didn't manage for very long. Then he suddenly went serious again. "Let's talk about life."

"Life?"

"Yeppppp." Foggy drew out as he rested his head on the bar drunkenly. "Life, the universe and everything. Let's talk about all the big things."

Matt followed Foggy's actions and also rested his head on the bar. "What do you want to say?"

Foggy took in a deep breath, but no question followed it. He started to nod off, and Matt did too. The barman stood over the two, chuckling but making no move to wake them. He flicked his eyes round, before taking out his phone to take a picture of the two. Just as he was about to, Matt's phone went off, repeatedly announcing that 'Elektra' was trying to contact him. Both Matt and Foggy were startled and shot up, laughing like idiots again about the fact that they fell asleep.

Foggy snorted. "You should probably answer that."

Matt fumbled through his pocket until he pulled out his phone and clicked the green button.

"Hey babe."

'Babe?' Foggy mouthed to the barman before going back to staring at Matt incredulously. He must be really really plastered.

"You were right. I'm sorry."

"Matt, apologising? Yep- he's drunk."

"You're amazing, you know that right? Especially when you do that really hot thing where you"-

At this point Foggy had the good sense to avert his hearing and try to hide his blush from hearing the details of Matt and Elektra's sex life.

"You want me to come over?"

Matt grabbed Foggy's attention again by gently shaking his shoulder. "Do you mind if I go to Elektra's?"

Foggy shook his head, and the action made his head pound even more than it already was.

"I'll be there in a bit. Yep. Love you too, El."

He turned his phone off and very slowly went to rise from the stool he occupied. Foggy automatically followed his action; even when drunk he was concerned about his friend.

"Do you want me to walk you there? I mean, we've both drunk waaaayyyy too much to go in a straight line, and you can't see where you're going anyway."

"I'll be fine. I just need to get my bearings."

"Matt, don't be ridiculous- I'm walking you."

He rolled his eyes behind his dark lenses, and held out his arm ready to grab an elbow. "Okay, dad."

The two wandered back through the streets, Matt reminding Foggy every 2 seconds where Elektra lived. They stumbled along the pavement, stopping at each crossing like they'd done an emergency stop. Both of them tripped up multiple times, then proceeded to act like fools. Every so often, Foggy would tell Matt about something they were passing or a weird look that a person gave them. Matt was, due to his current lack of sobriety, unable to focus his senses on anything, so he was heavily relying on his friend, although he was as sober as he was, to guide him through New York's streets to his girlfriend's apartment. Suddenly his senses kicked in when he could smell her perfume, however.

Matt came to a stop in front of the apartment building, Foggy tripping up and falling into the back of him.

"Why'd you stop?"

"Because"- he stopped himself. He shouldn't know where they are.

"Where even are we?" Foggy mumbled before getting a look at the address on the wall. "Well, would you look at that- we're here! That was a conveniently timed zone-out moment Murdock."

Matt smiled, and Foggy returned the gesture.

"You can leave me here, Foggy. I know my way to her apartment."

"I'm sure you do." he scoffed. He paused for a moment, hesitating to say the words he wanted to. Matt cut the tension with his own words.

"Thanks for being so understanding, pal. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned around and headed towards the doors that marked the entrance to the apartment complex. As his hand met the handle, Foggy stopped him.

"Hey Matt. You be careful."

"Oh shit, that's a good point. Have you got any condoms on you?"

Foggy was taken aback but rummaged through his pockets anyway as he shook his head in despair. "That's not quite what I meant."

Matt's hands rested on the top of his cane as his face fell into a confused look. "What did you mean?"

Foggy sighed, shrugging aimlessly. "I don't know. There's something about this girl that just seems a bit dangerous."

"I can look after myself, Foggy."

Foggy shook off Matt's ignoring of his message, but smiled. "No you can't," he exclaimed as he pushed a condom into Matt's hand.

Matt shrugged in response. "Probably true. Thanks."

"Anytime."

Foggy waited until Matt had gone inside and began to 'walk' back to their place. The alcohol, though very much still in his system, had started to affect him less. Well, enough so that he managed to get back to campus in one piece, trip up the stairs and fall into his and Matt's room.

_Well that was quite a night._

It was just a little bit of a pity that he didn't remember a damn thing in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No 2- done! Please review and let me know how you feel about this. I know a lot of people write Matt x Foggy friendship so it's hard not to copy some elements, but I hope this has some originality and worth. So yeah, drop a little review in the box below. In the next chapter, I'm going to write about one of Foggy's girls rather than Matt's which I'm quite looking forward to, so please subscribe if you think you'd like to read it. Everything is appreciated.


	3. The Better End of the Bargain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Thanks again for tonight. I know I'm not as hot as Matt, but I hope it wasn't disappointing. Foggy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update. A chapter about one of Foggy's girls rather than Matt's because why not. Hope you enjoy it

Amongst the bright, neon lights, and the pounding of music through the speakers- the dive bar was alive and kicking. It had only just gone midnight so for all of the students dancing around and mingling amongst the masses; the night was still young. Alice laughed loudly as her friend next to her pointed out yet another drunkard's hilarious dance moves. She tucked a hair behind her ear and took a swig of her beer, as the two of them leaned against the bar. Charlie smirked as her eyes flicked down along the bar, and she chuckled as her eyes fell back to the floor. Alice looked at her dazedly trying to figure out her friend's weird actions.

"What are you smirking about?"

"Hot guy, at your 3 o clock. Definitely on his way to come talk to you."

Alice slowly drew in another sip of her beer, avoiding turning her eyes to her right.

"How hot?" she asked, trying to remain casual in her tone and body language.

Her friend blew out a breath and shook her head. "Like insanely hot. 9.5 minimum."

"Minimum?"

"Yep."

"Well shit."

"How close?"

Charlie nudged her making her stand up straight, and from that action rather than a response, she guessed that the mysterious hottie was approaching fast.

"Hi, excuse me," the guy said apprehensively, as Alice finally turned to face him. Her face immediately reddened. He was definitely gorgeous. He was a couple inches taller than she was, and had brunette hair that was settled in a way that seemed effortless. His jaw was chiselled and he had the stubble of someone who hadn't shaved in the last few days purely because he was too busy doing something more important. His lips, which looked pretty damn appealing, were curved into a subtle smile. His eyes were covered by sunglasses, which Alice thought strange until she noticed the cane in the guy's hand. Shit. He was blind. When she realised that she had stared too long and left an awkward silence hanging in the air as the guy waited, she quickly responded.

"Hi, yes, sorry. Can I help you?"

The response shook him back to the bar as if he was reminded of a mission, and he licked his lips before a dimple appeared on his face. "I hope this isn't too abrupt, but I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you are."

Alice and Charlie shared a baffled look, before Alice awkwardly laughed. "I hope this isn't too abrupt but I don't know how much of a compliment that is coming from a blind guy?"

The beautiful man laughed and the sound made her stomach do something weird. "Haha, well the comment isn't actually from the blind guy, I'm afraid. My friend"- he paused to point over at a guy sat at a booth across from the pair wearing a t-shirt under a plaid shirt, a beanie, and a shy smile. "Foggy- he's not been able to shut up about you since we walked in here."

Alice glanced over to the person this guy gestured towards. He wasn't really her type, and nothing in the league of the Adonis in front of her, but she smiled at the flattery. "Really?"

"Yeah. So I'm assuming you're blonde?"

Alice chuckled, a blush rising to her face. "No, I'm not, I'm a brunette. Your friend, Foggy? has a thing for blondes then?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know. I think he just has a thing for women. So you're not blonde… but judging by the accent, I'm guessing that you're British?"

"That one you've got right."

"So what brings you to New York?"

"I'm an exchange student at Columbia. Majoring in Religious Studies."

That brought a smile to the man's face. "How interesting. I happen to be Catholic."

"That's great." Alice commented, hoping she didn't sound too rude as she tried to move the conversation along. "So this friend of yours, what does he do?"

"Law. We're both studying law." He nodded, a sense of pride in what he did shining through.

"Lawyers… Nice!" Charlie whispered into her ear.

Alice's eyes flicked over the booth again and she sighed. She could see that the guy waiting there, Foggy, was starting to get anxious.

His friend caught her sigh, and stepped forward. "Look, umm…" he paused, realising he didn't know her name. Alice didn't fill the gap but Charlie coughed and told the man that her friend's name is Alice.

"Alice. I can't tell you if Foggy is good looking, or a typical catch, because I have no idea what the hell he looks like, but there's plenty more that I can tell you. Like the fact that he is the kindest soul I've ever met, and he has a laugh that is the physical embodiment of sunshine and that he puts the needs of everyone else above his own. He's pretty damn smart too. He's been my best friend since the day I met him and I'd love for you to get to know him. He was too awkward to come over here himself, and insisted that he needed to use my apparent good looks and charm to convince you to meet him but I can say with complete honesty that he is a far, far better man than I am."

Alice's eyes widened as his little speech went on and her heart beat a little bit faster at the passion with which he spoke. She wasn't sure why, but she was compelled to trust the man in front of her, and if the guy sat in the booth was half as amazing as his friend made out- he didn't sound like the worst company in the world. She sighed as her bottle clinked against the bar and she stood up straight crossing her arms against her chest.

"Your friend has 10 minutes to win me over, and if it's not worth my time- I'm expecting _you_ to buy me a drink."

The man smiled. "Okay. I'll accept that."

Alice took a deep breath before leaving Foggy's friend with Charlie and striding towards the booth and sliding into the seat opposite Foggy.

"I hear you think I'm beautiful." She said bluntly, leaning her elbows on the table in front of her.

"Matt didn't have to be _so_ forward," he mumbled embarrassed, his face going red.

"Matt. Is that the name of your pet male model?" Alice smiled.

Foggy chuckled, his hand going up to his head to adjust his hat. "That would be him."

Her eyes met Foggy's. "Well he speaks very very highly of you. If you're anything of the man your friend Matt just described you as to me, I'm quite interested in getting to know you. So should we get some introductions underway?"

He looked startled for a moment at her confidence which so clearly highlighted his awkwardness, before reaching across the table to shake her hand. "Foggy Nelson."

"Alice Roland."

"Great to meet you Alice. So what brings you to this mess of a bar this fine evening?"

"I'm a student, exams are over. Thought I'd come by with a friend and celebrate," she answered with a noncommittal shrug. "You?"

"The same."

"Yeah, your friend said you guys are law students?"

"Yeah that's right." He said, the smile on his face mirroring the one on Matt's when he told her.

"What made you want to be a lawyer?"

Foggy paused for a moment as he came up with an answer. "From your accent, I'm guessing you're not from around these parts, but I grew up in Hell's Kitchen. It was a rough neighbourhood as a kid, and I don't know- constantly seeing people getting smacked around both mentally and physically… After seeing that for so many years, you get sick of it. You want to be able to help and make a difference, you know?"

Alice smiled, leaving a silence floating in the air.

"My mom wanted me to be a butcher." Foggy states, alleviating the serious tone. Alice laughs so hard at the randomness of it that she snorts.

"A butcher? Really?"

He shrugs, his hands flamboyantly waving around.

"I think I can imagine you in the little apron." Foggy blushes slightly at the comment. "You'd probably have to cut your hair though, wouldn't want it getting in the meat."

"True. Though I'm probably going to have to cut it anyway, to look like a big, fancy lawyer. Just enjoying it while I can."

She paused, before replying with a cheeky smile- "Do you just like the wind running through your hair?"

"Well, of course!" he says as if it is the most obvious thing in the entire world.

She smiles, and things continue like this. A comfortable tone is found and an easy banter seems to flow readily between them. The topics vary: they discuss Star Wars, comic books, alcohol, Abba, Rolling Stones, ice skating, dancing, childhood dreams, the difference between home and New York… She doesn't even need any alcohol to keep the conversation flowing, and though she had her initial reservations, she has to agree with Matt and say that Foggy Nelson is a pretty wonderful guy- and that's just scratching the surface.

After about an hour, Matt sidles over to Foggy and announces that he's heading home. As soon as he does, Foggy stands up, "Do you need me to walk you back?"

Matt waves it off. "Don't be silly Foggy. We live 5 minutes away, I can get there myself. You stay and have fun."

A crease settles on Foggy's brow. "You sure?"

"Of course I am. Have a good one, buddy." He leans around Foggy to wave at Alice. "It was nice to meet you Alice."

"You too, Matt." And with that the other man wandered off, Foggy's eyes following him apprehensively as he settled back into the booth. "You really care for him, don't you?"

This shakes his attention back to her. "What, Matt?"

She nods.

"Well, he's my best friend. Also, he has a tendency to get himself into trouble, so someone has to fish him out every so often."

Her eyes sought his, an admiration in them for his caring nature. "Is it hard?"

"What, because of the…" Foggy's voice trails off, but he points towards his eyes. "No, not really. You fall into a pattern of leading and narrating pretty easily. And occasionally it's nice to have someone need you, you know?"

"Yeah. I think I do."

"How about you? Who was that friend if yours that was eyeing up my best friend all night?"

"Charlie? She's something else. Lives across the hall from me, and has always known how to have a good time. She's the one who helped me get to grips with the city when I first got here."

Foggy smiled. "Maybe we should hang out sometime: the four of us."

Alice heard the implication in his tone that this wasn't just for tonight, and although that would usually terrify her- today she found that she didn't mind. "That sounds great, Foggy."

She grabbed a napkin from the table and a pen from her pocket and jotted down her number, sliding towards Foggy. "Here you go. I hate to have to say this, but I really need to get back."

"I'll walk you home." Foggy said immediately without thinking.

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."

The two of them got up and found their way out of the bar as Alice walked back her usual route, but with a warmth beside her she didn't always have. When they got to the front of her building she turned to look at Foggy. Would he shake her hand? Go for a hug? A kiss even? He smiled gently and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'm glad I met you tonight, Alice."

She blushed, her eyes cast towards the ground. "Yeah, me too."

She waved one final time before heading up the stairs to her room.

Just before she was about to go to sleep, her phone bleeped.

_Thanks again for tonight. I know I'm not as hot as Matt, but I hope it wasn't disappointing. Foggy._

When the reply came through on Foggy's phone, he smiled like an idiot.

_Something tells me I got the better end of the bargain._ _A xx_


	4. The Other Nelson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Matt stood up to greet Sarah and noticed that as soon as he did, the girl's heart beat faster, and he could sense that her cheeks were flushed. Her breath caught in her throat before he spluttered out, "It's nice to meet you, Matt."
> 
> "You too, Sarah." he held out a hand for her to shake and she grabbed it eagerly. It seemed as if she was trying to supress giggling.
> 
> Oh dear. This could be very awkward…'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all. Hope you're still enjoying the story. I love writing Matt x Foggy bromance! The start of this may not seem to fit into the theme of the story, but it will get there by the end!

"Foggy, are you really sure that this is okay? I'm happy to just stay here over break."

Foggy groaned loudly. "For the hundredth time, Murdock- you're not spending Christmas by yourself. You're completely welcome to come and stay with my family. They're going to love you."

"Yeah but"-

"You're not intruding- you're my best friend. You're basically family anyway. There'll be so many people around, the family will barely notice an extra member." Foggy reassured Matt for what felt like the millionth time in the last few weeks. As soon as he'd learned that Matt was planning on staying on campus for Christmas break, he knew that he wasn't allowed to let that happen. Christmas was a time for family and Foggy had plenty to share. I mean he was one of six children, after all.

Matt looked hesitant, but sighed in defeat. "Well if you're sure. You're going to have to remind me of all your siblings again though."

Foggy chuckled. "Yeah, there are a lot of us… So," he prepared to list them- his hand ready in front of him, "Theo is the oldest. He's going to take over the hardware store when Dad eventually decides to retire. He's married to Kelly and they have 2 kids. Second oldest is Kenny: he owns a bakery down the other side of town. After that is Simon who is a plumber (he's the one coming to pick us up today). Then there's me- the handsome, dashing, smart one." Matt chuckled at that. "Then there's my little sister Sarah, who's in her first year of college, and the youngest is Tommy who is 13."

Matt catalogued all the names and was sure that it would be easier to remember them once he had sounds and smells to associate them with. He heard Foggy zip up his suitcase, indicating that he had finished packing, and he could sense that Foggy's arm was gestured towards him.

"Do you need any help finishing packing?"

Matt shook his head. "Nah buddy, I think I'm good thanks."

"Then we are all good to go! Just got to wait for the phone call from my brother now."

Foggy jumped back on to his bed, pulling his trusty baseball from his pocket and throwing it from hand to hand. Matt lay back himself, trying to relax, but everything was so noisy. The sound of the baseball hitting Foggy's hands; the kettle boiling somewhere on the floor below; the crunch of footsteps in the snow on the streets outside their window; and somehow above all of that, his own slightly fast heartbeat. He shouldn't feel so nervous but he couldn't help himself. It had been over a decade since he had actually had a family. Those teen years spent at the orphanage should have felt like family, but he often felt detached from the other children, and especially from the nuns- whom he was sure had something they weren't telling him. Yeah… It had been a long time since Matt Murdock had been welcomed into a family, and he was terrified either way: whether the Nelsons drew him in with loving arms, or they turned him away. The first because it was so unfamiliar to him, and the second because the truth of it was that he didn't really want to spend Christmas on his own. Even when he was doing his undergraduate degree, he would end up back at the orphanage for Christmas dinner, because as much as he told himself he didn't mind being alone, it felt like shit to be lonely at Christmas. His thoughts were interrupted by Foggy's phone going off.

"Hello?" he answered, Matt homing in on what sounded like a very relaxed voice on the other side of the line.

"We'll meet you out the front. Okay. See you in a few." Foggy replied before hanging up the phone and sliding it back into his pocket. "Come on, Matt. Simon is outside."

Matt got up, threw his bag over his shoulder, grabbed his cane and began to follow the sound of Foggy's footsteps out of the room. His friend offered his elbow to hold, but he decided to just use his cane.

When they reached outside, Matt could feel Foggy smiling next to him as they approached what sounded like a slightly old pick-up truck.

"Hey, little lawyer man." A very loud, enthusiastic voice called, as Foggy ran towards it; embracing his brother.

"Simon, it's so good to see you, man! This is my roomie and best friend Matt."

Matt held out his hand to shake Simon's and was surprised as the other man pulled him into a hug, pressing his cane into his chest. "Nice to meet you Matt, I'm Simon."

"Nice to meet you too." Matt laughed as he escaped Simon's grasp.

"It's good that Foggy's got friends here. We weren't sure he was going to make any. Though it probably helps that you can't see what a mess he is."

Foggy's eyes went wide at his brother's comment but Matt just laughed. "I can smell it though."

"That's totally unfair!" Foggy objected, making his brother pull him in close to muss up his hair.

"Nah it ain't. You guys can dump your stuff in the back and jump in the truck."

Matt nodded and Foggy helped get him into the truck. Foggy's brother turned up the radio and began to cruise down the journey to Foggy's home.

* * *

As they opened the door and Matt heard the soft thud of Foggy dropping their bags in the hallway, the first thing Matt thought was this place smelt like a home. Not a house, but a home. There was food cooking in the oven, though he hadn't quite worked out what yet, and the place was warm with people buzzing around. He heard the shuffle of an older woman coming down the corridor, followed by a quick intake of breath as she approached.

"Franklin! You're home. My baby is home!" Mrs Nelson exclaimed in a voice that Foggy seem quiet, as she enveloped him in a hug.

"And you must be Matty," she said, greeting Matt the same way, bringing him to the conclusion that the Nelsons were huggers.

"It's just Matt, Mom." Foggy corrected.

"No, no." Matt objected, "Matty is fine. That's what my dad used to call me."

Foggy's Mom smiled, her hand resting on Matt's cheek. "You can call me Mama Nelson."

"Mom!" Foggy interjected, clearly embarrassed at his mother's behaviour.

"What? Can I not be welcoming to your friend, Franklin?" She gave a Foggy a quick clip around the ear as if he were 9 again, and grabbed Matt's hand, slowly guiding him down the corridor. "Come on Matty, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Matt smiled, following wherever it was that Mrs, wait Mama, Nelson was taking him. It was all a bit overwhelming, but he could tell that Foggy's family were being genuine, and actually wanted to take him in from the kindness of their hearts. It explained a lot about Foggy's character to Matt. She opened a door and led Matt into a room which smelt distinctly of the smell that he had come to associate with his best friend. He sat down on the bed and let Mrs Nelson fuss over him a bit longer until Foggy cut in and told her that he could take things from here.

Foggy plonked himself down next to Matt on the bed and smiled. "It's good to be home."

"Is this your room?" Matt asked, pointing at the room around them.

"Usually it is, but this week it's yours."

Matt looked confused at this. "But where are you going to sleep?"

Foggy shrugged. "I've got an inflatable mattress, I'll crash on the floor in here."

"No, I can't take your bed for the whole week, Fog."

"Of course you can, Matt."

"Foggy"-

"Damn it Matt, stop trying to be so righteous and let me be nice to you." Foggy said, ending the conversation.

They sat for a few moments in uncomfortable silence before Foggy got up and reached for Matt's hand for him to do the same. "We should go downstairs. I'll introduce you to Dad and Tommy while we wait for the others to get here for dinner."

Matt let his friend lead him down the stairs, and into what he was guessing from the smells coming from the room, was the kitchen.

"Hey Foggy." a voice of an older man, worn from cigarettes , said in a friendly manner.

"Dad. I've missed you." Foggy said, letting go of Matt momentarily to hug his father.

"And you must be the Matt Murdock we've heard so much about." Mr Nelson said, shaking Matt's hand in a firm grasp.

"It's good to meet you, sir."

"It's crazy to have a Murdock in our house. I use to watch your Dad fight."

Matt was shaken at the mention of his dad, but a soft smile fell on his face. "Really?"

"Yep. He was a persistent fighter. That's what I admired about him. It seems like you're pretty resilient yourself, according to Foggy here."

Matt shrugged off the compliment. He was about to respond when a young heartbeat entered the room, beating fast to indicate that he'd just been running around.

"Foggy, you're home!"

"Hey, big guy!" Foggy greeted warmly, grabbing the youngest Nelson by the neck and rubbing his hair, much like Simon had done with his earlier. "This is my friend, Matt."

The young boy stopped awkwardly in front of Matt.

"Can you really not see me?" he asked.

"Thomas!" Mama Nelson yelled shocked from her spot at the table.

"It's fine, honestly." Matt said to Foggy's mom before turning his attention to Tommy. "I really can't."

He paused, a sceptical look falling on his face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

_Five. He was holding up five._

"Three?" Matt asked.

"Shit, you really can't see me!"

Matt laughed as the boy's parents corrected his language.

"Is it true you lost your eyesight saving an old man?"

Matt scoffed at how heroic the kid made it sound but nodded his head as agreement.

"That's awesome!"

Tommy then proceeded to launch into a flurry of questions in rapid succession. Matt answered all of them, but his ears focused on the conversation between Foggy and his mom.

"So when are the others coming?"

"Theodore will come as soon as he gets off work, and Kennedy is going to pick up Sarah from the train station and bring her probably in the next half hour."

Or now, Matt thought as he heard footsteps approaching the front door of the house. The door was knocked a few seconds later, much to the surprise of the Nelsons.

"Or now." Foggy laughed, his words matching the thoughts Matt had just had.

Mrs Nelson went to answer it and as the door opened, Matt could hear two new heartbeats. One was probably about half a decade or so older than himself, and by the rate at which it was beating, he was assuming that the guy wasn't very physically fit. The other heartbeat belonged to a woman; a young one- that must be Foggy's sister. She had a strong floral scent surrounding her. He recognised the perfume as one that the girl who sat behind him in their criminal law class wore.

"Hi mom." The girl greeted, sighing in relief to be home.

"Sarah, my darling. I've missed you, my little girl."

Sarah laughed in response, "I'm not so little anymore, Mom. I'm at college now, remember?"

Mrs Nelson sighed. "All you kids are growing up. I feel so old."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Is Foggy home yet?"

"Him and his friend are in the kitchen." her mother replied, pointing towards the room in which Matt and Foggy were sat.

Sarah bounded down the corridor and into the room. Foggy beamed and immediately got up to meet his sister. Once they had hugged, in the typical Nelson greeting, Foggy stepped aside and gestured towards Matt.

"Sarah, this is my best friend, Matt."

Matt stood up to greet Sarah and noticed that as soon as he did, the girl's heart beat faster, and he could sense that her cheeks were flushed. Her breath caught in her throat before he spluttered out, "It's nice to meet you, Matt."

"You too, Sarah." he held out a hand for her to shake and she grabbed it eagerly. It seemed as if she was trying to supress giggling.

Oh dear. This could be very awkward…

* * *

By the time that Foggy's eldest brother and his family had arrived, Matt had fully realised that Foggy's little sister was just a bit smitten on him. It was strange, because of course, he didn't properly know what he looked like, but he seemed to keep having that effect on women. They saw him, and immediately their whole demeanour changed. However, Sarah Nelson was one girl that he wasn't proud to have had that effect on. He was hoping desperately that Foggy hadn't noticed. By his current attitude; Matt was assuming that he hadn't.

At dinner, she was quick to be the first to offer to sit next to Foggy's blind friend, and help him with anything he might need. Matt sat next to her, smiling enough to hope it covered the fact that he had most definitely noticed the extra spray (or five) of perfume that she had put on. As they ate, she offered nearly every minute to pass Matt something else, or top up his drink or something, any excuse to talk to him. After a while of this Foggy intervened,

"Sarah. Matt is fine. He doesn't need you to do everything for him."

She muttered a half-hearted apology under her breath, but stayed pretty quiet after that, only pitching into the family conversations when necessary.

Then Matt coughed, nearly choking on his drink, when he felt a dainty hand coming to rest on his thigh.

Foggy looked at him, his face a mixture of worried and confused. "Matt, are you okay?"

He retained his composure as quickly as possible, sipping his water again. "Yeah, sorry. Drink just went down the wrong way."

Matt could feel it beside him as a smirk fell on Sarah's face. He could also feel her hand tracing circles on his jeans, and though usually he would appreciate the gesture, in this circumstance, it absolutely terrified him.

After dinner, they retired to the living room to sit and watch a movie. Foggy tried to convince them to do something else, so Matt could enjoy it too, but Matt told them not to change their plans for his sake, so they didn't. He made sure to sit between Foggy and Tommy on the sofa. Somewhere, anywhere, where Sarah couldn't reach him.

* * *

As they were getting ready for bed, Matt turned to Foggy. "Hey Fog?"

"Yeah?"

"Your sister… Does she have a boyfriend?"

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

"No, she doesn't."

"Okay."

"If you're asking because you're interested, please know that if you try anything on my baby sister I will take your cane and beat your dick off with it."

Matt went red, hastening to correct himself. "No, Foggy, that wasn't why I was asking. Like not at all."

"It better not be."

"It really wasn't."

He felt Foggy slowly loosen back into his casual demeanour, but he sensed that something had shifted. He needed to stay away from Sarah for the rest of his stay. She was going to get him into trouble.

* * *

The next morning, he stepped out the shower, to realise that he had forgotten to grab his shirt off the bed in Foggy's room. He just hoped that he didn't run in to anyone as he went back to get it. He shimmied into his jeans, and dried his hair, unlocking the door and stepping out into the corridor, not really paying any attention to his surroundings and walking right into a solid figure in front of him.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He froze, as his senses kicked in and recognised the smaller hand that was currently resting on his chest. That was when he shook off his tiredness and actually began to focus on things. The most blaring thing right now being how quickly the girl's heat was rising.

She opened her mouth to say something but was silent for a few seconds longer. Matt could feel her eyes burning a hole in his torso. "So" she eventually spoke up. "Do you work out?"

"Yeah, occasionally. I've got to go now." And he quickly slipped from her grasp and in to Foggy's room where he let out a deep sigh as he could still hear her quickened heartbeat in the hallway outside.

* * *

The next evening was the worse. They'd gone out to a Christmas market, and somehow he had managed to be separated from Foggy and stuck with Sarah on her own. She was keeping the conversation light, but as he held her elbow, he could tell that she had somewhere very specific in mind that she was leading him towards. She came to a stop and the smell of it hit him a moment before she said it:

"Mistletoe."

He pretended to mishear her. "Excuse me?"

"We're under mistletoe." Sarah laughs.

"Oh." He said, trying to come off as coy and awkward compared to his usual outrageously flirty self. He was hoping that it was awkward enough that she wouldn't try anything. By her composure, Matt knew that he was only lying to himself.

"Shall we kiss then?" she asked, her voice underlying with excitement.

Matt laughed. "I really don't know how Foggy is going to feel about this."

She shrugged as she leaned in closer, "Foggy doesn't have to know."

Matt gulped, thinking that he might as well just get it over with and put the poor girl out of her misery, but just as his hands fell on her waist, the familiar smell of Foggy came into his senses more clearly, followed by his distinct voice calling his name. Matt pulled away sharply, heading to the voice as quickly as possible, hearing Sarah sigh behind him.

* * *

By the time that the week was over and him and Foggy returned back to campus; Matt found that he had never been more relieved to escape a girl's attention. He was pretty sure that there was a rule in that bro code that Foggy always talked about that you shouldn't get with your friend's sister. Foggy read that code as law. If Matt had broken it; he would have died. Maybe Foggy was right- girls were just too into the wounded, handsome duck thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I have exams coming up and though I had this idea, I wasn't so sure how to flesh it out. If it's crap sorry! And sorry the ending felt rushed, I just hated making you wait. Please read it and review it and share it anyway though!


	5. Wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the missing moment between 'Speak of the Devil' and 'Nelson and Murdock'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a little bit different from the other chapters of this fic, buuuuttt I am absolutely in love with Claire and I really wanted to hop on the bandwagon and write the missing moment between 'Speak of the Devil' and 'Nelson and Murdock'. So I did. :) I apologise for the angst. Well I kinda do.

Foggy's breath quickened as he stared at the floor of Matt's apartment, where Matt – _the devil of hell's kitchen-_ lay; blood seeping out of him.

"Matt, what the hell?" Foggy whispered, more for himself than his friend. He knelt down beside him, recovering from the shock enough to remember what he was doing and pick up his phone again.

He went to dial for an ambulance, when an arm flew up, nearly hitting him in the face.

"No hospital."

"Are you fucking crazy? You look like you're dying Matt." The last words of his sentence shrunk into what threatened to be a cry.

Matt's breath was laboured, but he pushed to get the words out. Even then his sentences were only half finished, but after years of knowing each other, Foggy could decipher the meaning. "My burner. Top pocket. Claire."

"Claire?" Foggy asked, trying to remain somewhat calm.

Matt nodded briefly, before slipping back out of consciousness again. Foggy started to panic again, his hands sweating as he unzipped Matt's pocket and pulled out his burner phone. His fingers shaking, he went to the contacts. There was only one name there. _Claire._

Foggy took a deep breath before calling the number. Each ring made him more nervous. The ringing suddenly stopped and he heard a deep sigh before a woman's voice came down the line.

"Matt? What is it?"

"No, it's not Matt. But he's hurt, like really really bad. There's a lot of blood and I don't know what to do and he said I couldn't call the hospital and that I had to phone you." Foggy didn't mean to say so much and speak so fast but the words just seemed to come out, desperate for someone to come and fix things.

The woman's voice froze for a moment, before saying in barely a whisper, "Where are you?"

"At his. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, I know. I'll be there in about ten minutes. Keep the wound covered, and please try and stay calm."

The phone hung up and Foggy was overwhelmed by the enormity of the silence in the apartment. He lifted up Matt's shirt slowly, to try and find where the wound was, but there was so much blood, and he couldn't quite work out where it was coming from. He held back a sob before pushing the black material back down.

"What the fuck are you doing, Matt?" It was all he said out loud, but was accompanied by a million other questions in his head. _How are you doing this? How could you have lied to me for so long? What the hell happened tonight? And all those other nights? Did you kill a cop? How did I believe you all those times you got injuries and you just said you were clumsy? You were never that clumsy at college so why didn't I connect the dots? What does this mean for us?_

A strangled broken sound that didn't even sound human broke from his chest. It was interrupted by a groan from the broken man on the floor.

"Foggy?"

"Yeah, it's me." He didn't even bother to stop his crying. Matt probably wouldn't recall this later.

"I'm sorry, Foggy. I'm sorry about… this."

"You better be sorry, Murdock. You better be fucking sorry because I have no idea what is happening or even who you are."

Matt's eyes kept fluttering closed but he forced them open. "Foggy, please."-

He was unable to finish his sentence, because by just moving a tiny bit, Matt erupted into a shriek of pain, which terrified Foggy to his core.

"Claire?" the soft pleading in his face stole Foggy's anger momentarily.

"She's on her way, buddy. Hang in there."

Foggy sat there as he waited for Claire to arrive, though he knew absolutely nothing about her. One hand rested on Matt's side, trying to keep his wound covered by something like Claire had said on the phone, and his other hand covered his mouth trying to stop himself from letting the sobs be heard.

After what felt like forever, Matt's front door burst open, and a woman burst through it, a frantic look on her face. Although it really wasn't the time, Foggy couldn't help but notice that yet again Matt had captured the attention of a woman who was very beautiful, even in her currently flustered state. Foggy stood up straight away to introduce himself.

"I'm Foggy. Are you Claire?"

"Yeah, that's me," she said, acknowledging him quickly before rushing to Matt's side. She muttered a string of curse words as she looked over him.

"Do you know what happened?" Claire asked him, as cut open Matt's top to observe his wounds.

Foggy shook his head. "No. I don't have a clue about any of this. I came over to check he was okay, and he wasn't opening the door, but I heard a bang so I came down the fire escape and the devil of hell's kitchen passes out on the floor, ,which you don't seem shocked by, so I'm guessing you knew?"

Her eyes didn't leave Matt as she nodded. "We're going to have to move him on to the couch. I'm not strong enough to lift him by myself so you'll have to help."

Foggy nodded, immediately moving closer to Matt's body to prepare to move him. Claire counted down from 3, and they lifted the body- Matt letting out a shriek of pain as they put him back down again.

"Shit, they got you good this time, Matt." Claire muttered under her breath.

 _This time?_ Foggy tried to not let the implications that she'd seen him in this state before bother him; but of course they did. "What do you mean this time? Have they got him before? Why do you know about this and not me? I'm his best friend."

Claire sighed again as she looked up at the blonde man. "Look, it's not my place to tell you, and this isn't the time for you to get angry with Matt- because if we waste our time arguing about him- he's going to die. So please, just wait an hour or so to be pissed off at him and help me let him live."

Her tone was calm yet commanding, and Foggy felt compelled to listen. He took a deep breath and stood up straight. "What do you need me to do?"

Claire gave Foggy a list of things to take out from her bag as she got to work on getting Matt free of his clothes so she had better access to the wounds.

"Claire?"

"Yeah Matt, it's me."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah well you should be; I've spent nearly all of my nights off on you."

Matt tried to laugh, but the sound got caught in his throat.

Foggy watched the exchange from where he sat rifling through Claire's medical kit, but something about it seemed so intimate that he felt the need to turn away.

The smile faded from Claire's face as her eyes drank in all the cuts that painted Matt's body. She turned back to Foggy; returning to the authoritative tone she had used before as she ordered him to pass her suture kit, and various other things.

After a load of stitches had been done, a good few towels had been covered in Matt's blood, and lot of screaming on Matt's part and crying on Foggy's, Matt had been able to fall asleep peacefully, without there being the fear of him never waking up.

Foggy grabbed a beer from Matt's fridge and sat on the armchair, dwelling on everything that had happened that night as Claire cleaned herself off in the bathroom. The more he reflected, the angrier he got. Now that Matt was safe, his terror was completely gone and it had been replaced by pure rage. Matt had betrayed him. They had been friends for what- 5 years? And this was how he repaid him. All those days that Foggy had given up time to make Matt's life easier, all those times that he followed Matt's instincts and gut feelings without a second thought. Now it seemed as if that may not have been the smartest thing to do. The man was a maniac, clearly- a devil. Foggy swallowed down yet another cry that was about to emerge from his throat when Claire stepped back out into the living room.

"Are you okay?" she asked timidly.

"Nope."

"I get that it's hard to understand- I don't get it either, but if this is what Matt feels he needs to do- I really doubt that any of us will be able to convince him otherwise."

"No you don't get it. You're just some girl- I'm Matt's best friend- we lived together for years. I should have known. I deserved to know." Foggy spat out at her.

Claire remained poised as she went to deliver a response, but Foggy interrupted her with a sigh.

"No, that's not fair. I'm sorry. If it weren't for you, Matt would be dead. And clearly you know more about him than I do. It's just… I can't… I can't believe that he lied to me about _everything._ "

"I'm pretty sure he hasn't lied about _everything_."

"Well he told me that things didn't work out between you two, for a start." Foggy pointed out, looking Claire straight in the eye.

"See. He didn't lie to you about everything. That's the truth." Claire said, a sad smile falling on her face and reaching her eyes.

Foggy's eyebrows furrowed. "So why did you come?"

Claire laughed humourlessly. "Because I'm a decent fucking human being."

"Huh." Foggy exclaimed, his eyebrows raising.

"What?" she asked, confused by his reaction.

"Matt doesn't usually get those."

Claire heard the depth behind his words, and let the silence hang in the air, before it was broken again by another humourless laugh- this time, Foggy's.

"Typical really: the one time that Matt meets a decent girl and he fucks it up."

"Sounds about right." Claire mumbled. She checked her watch before looking back to Foggy. "Look, I have to go, but I'll give you my number before I do so that you can reach me if he's ever an idiot again- which I'm sure he will be."

Foggy passed his phone for her to put her number in to, before saying his farewells. As she walked out the door, she hesitated for a moment. "When he wakes up… Foggy, please go easy on him."

His eyes darkened. "I can't promise you anything."

And with that Foggy Nelson closed the door on Claire, and withdrew back into the unnerving quiet of Matt's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa. That was tense. Sorry it took me so long- had a very busy few weeks. Finished my exams and all now, so updates should hopefully be more regular. I know this wasn't fun like my usual stuff, but I hope it was still a good read. Please let me know by reviewing.


	6. An Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> '"So what do I call you?" he asks, in between punches and kicks.
> 
> "Elektra."
> 
> And as soon as she said the name, it all fell in to place. Because how could he not recognise that voice? The voice that belonged to her. The revelation threw him off, allowing her to make her move.'

He cocked his head to the side, he could hear the swinging around of a weapon; maybe a sword, or a Sai? Definitely something along those lines. Matt pulled his Daredevil mask over his head and began across the rooftops of Hell's Kitchen, following the sounds. As he got closer, the sounds became clearer, as did smells, and it became clear to him that whoever was brandishing the weapon (he was pretty sure from the way it flew through the air, it was a Sai), was in fact a woman. Probably a similar age to him, and from the sounds of it- extremely skilled in the martial arts.

A scream emerged from a man she had pushed to the ground, the Sai bared against his throat. "Now tell me, what do you know about the Daredevil?"

Matt pushed down the feeling that he recognised that voice, and emerged from the shadows. "You can always ask him yourself."

The woman swung round instantaneously, flinging her weapon straight at Matt, which he dodged by mere inches. He was impressed. He heard the footsteps of the man she attacked running off into the distance.

He sprung forward, ready to attack as he pulled the sticks from his costume, but his adversary defended herself easily. She blocked each attack effortlessly, moving around Matt swiftly with nimble feet.

Matt danced with the fighter, her moves all quick, though most of them he could keep up with. He realised that all her techniques were eerily familiar.

"Were you trained by an old guy with a stick by any chance?"

The question caught her off guard and she hesitated in her next move, allowing Matt to catch her and cause a bit of damage. But when she replied, he was caught off guard, because he was still sure that her voice was familiar to him.

"Yes I was. From the fact that you knew, I'm assuming that you were too."

He made a noise of affirmation, but continued in his attack.

"So what do I call you?" he asks, in between punches and kicks.

"Elektra."

And as soon as she said the name, it all fell in to place. Because how could he not recognise that voice? The voice that belonged to her. The revelation threw him off, allowing her to make her move.

She grabbed him from behind, pulling him down to the ground and twisting round to straddle him. "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. You seem pretty tame to be a devil, I think." And with that, she proceeded to beat the shit out of him, and Matt was still too shocked to properly react. Stick had bested him yet again, but used someone he never thought he'd be attacked by- well not in this way at least. Eventually the sound of sirens caught her attention, and she cussed under her breath before climbing off him and retrieving her weapons to leave.

"We'll meet again, Daredevil." She spits at him before disappearing into the night.

Matt had a feeling that he may be needing to phone Claire. He sighed and found his burner phone, aching with every move he made.

* * *

Foggy's face dropped as Matt slid into his office the next morning.

"Shit, Matt! What the hell happened to you?"

"I… ugh… went out last night."

"Well I guessed that much." Foggy said sarcastically as he got up and inspected Matt's wounds, well the visible ones at least. He urged Matt to show him if there were any more, to which Matt unbuttoned his shirt to reveal plenty of deep dark bruises and a cut which had been stitched up. "Who on Earth did this to you?"

Matt laughed humourlessly, "If I told you, I really doubt you'd believe me."

Foggy glared at him, crossing his arms in front of him. "My best friend is Daredevil, Matt. I'm pretty sure you can't throw me any more curveballs. So tell me; who did this to you?"

Matt sighed, before mumbling a name under his breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"Elektra. I said Elektra."

Foggy paused, his features all falling into an expression that could only be described as extremely confused. "Elektra _Natchios_? As in your ex- girlfriend?"

"Yes, that Elektra." Matt answered quickly, clearly embarrassed as he rebuttoned his shirt.

Then, much to his surprise, and dismay, Foggy burst out laughing. "Wait, so are these wounds Daredevil having the crap kicked out of him, or just plain ol' Matt Murdock getting a beating?"

"Daredevil. Turns out that I wasn't the only kid that Stick trained up."

"Wait, hold on." Foggy held up his hands. "You're telling me that your college girlfriend, just happens to also be insanely good at martial arts?"

"She's also pretty handy with a Sai," Matt added as he perched himself on the edge of Foggy's desk. Sensing Foggy's blank expression, he added- "It's a kind of sword thing."

Foggy nodded, before chuckling again. He moved to say something but held back. Obviously, Matt picked up on it though.

"You want to say something, I can tell. What is it?"

Foggy smirked. "Is it bad that I really want to say I told you so?"

Matt furrowed his eyebrows. "What? When did you ever tell me that my ex was going to beat me in a dark alleyway?"

"Okay, maybe I never said that," Foggy laughed, "but I definitely told you that there was something dangerous about her. True, this wasn't quite what I meant, but this is strangely satisfying."

"Can you please, at least pretend you're not enjoying this?" Matt said, rubbing his temple.

"No can do buddy. Elektra was always tiny! The thought of her being able to do this much damage to anyone, let alone you, is extremely amusing to me."

Foggy went into another round of laughter, which Matt tried his best to ignore.

"Oh crap, what did you tell Claire?"

"Well I didn't mention that I used to date the person who did this to me…" Matt answered, his cheeks going a deep red.

"I bet you didn't."

"Seriously, Foggy. You can at least be a bit concerned that I'm so badly hurt."

"Please Matt," he waved off, "you've been hurt way worse than this. You'll be out on the streets again by tomorrow knowing how much of a stubborn son of a bitch you are."

"Hey!" Matt began to protest but was interrupted by a solid knock on the door.

"Come in!" Foggy called, and Karen entered the room.

Her eyes fell on Matt's tired and bruised face and gasped. "What the hell, Matt?"

"It's a long story, Karen."

"A long and hilarious story." Foggy added, much to Matt's chagrin.

Karen sighed, "Well it will have to wait until later. Matt, there's a girl here to see you… Says she's an old friend."

Matt's head quickly turned to Foggy, whose eyes lit up and his face beamed at Karen. "Is she slim, long dark hair, piercing eyes and a European sounding accent?"

Karen looked confused at Foggy's response but nodded nonetheless, "Yeah, that would be her."

Foggy burst into laughter yet again, causing Matt to scowl and Karen to timidly wait at the door. "So do I let her in?"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Matt and Foggy both answered firmly. This was going to be a long day…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: It has come to my attention that some people have read this chapter as me perpetuating the stigma that male abuse is not valid in the same way female abuse is. Please know that this was not my intention in any way whatsoever. So to clarify- the only reason that Foggy laughs at Matt is because the thought of someone that Matt used to date, also being as skilled vigilante and beating him as Daredevil, and not knowing it's Matt, is so ridiculous to him- that he can't find it anything but hilarious. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was beaten by a woman, because Foggy would've reacted exactly the same if Matt had told him that he was beaten by anyone else they knew at college- be they male or female. Sorry if I offended or upset anyone, because that wasn't my intention, and I in no way wanted to seem as if I was supporting violence against men- because I'm not. Sorry again, for any upset I've caused by this.


	7. The Lawyer and his Sidekick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sure, they amazed a lot of people, but something about Franklin Nelson and Matt Murdock intrigued her beyond others. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. They were quite the pair; both oozing with charm. They were intelligent, funny, confident, and to an aspiring lawyer like Marci Stahl, that was a triple threat."

Quite frankly- they intrigued her.

Sure, they amazed a lot of people, but something about Franklin Nelson and Matt Murdock intrigued her beyond others. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. They were quite the pair; both oozing with charm. They were intelligent, funny, confident, and to an aspiring lawyer like Marci Stahl, that was a triple threat.

She had seen many the girl fall for Matt's subtle smirk and his low, dulcet voice, (she could definitely understand why), yet it was Foggy that caught her attention. His hair was too long, and his clothes always scruffy but he always exuded happiness. He was loud and brash and would be the first to pick an argument with their lecturers, yet he was inherently kind. The way that he looked out for Matt was just one example of his kindness. Normally Marci would be inclined to go for someone who was stand –offish and charismatically arrogant, but Foggy just seemed so sweet, too sweet in fact, that she felt that she couldn't let the whole of law school blow past her without getting to know him better. Sadly, for most of their second year he was tied up with an exchange student from England, and they seemed really into each other. However, Marci felt that enough time had passed since Alice's departure to allow Foggy to move on to someone new. Preferably her, but whatever.

She approached their criminal law professor, after class one day and waited patiently to talk to her.

"Marci, can I help?" the professor asked, slightly confused by the woman's lingering.

"Yeah, actually. It's about that paired assignment we're starting next week."

"What about it?" her eyebrow raised.

"Well, I was wondering if you could pair me with Foggy. I just think that our styles of work would integrate well." She said, hoping it came across as subtle rather than desperate.

The professor just chuckled, pulling her glasses off her face. "You're asking me to split up Murdock and Nelson?"

Marci just nodded, not phased at all.

The older woman sighed. "Okay, you can work with Mr. Nelson, but don't expect him to easily be parted from Mr. Murdock. Everyone knows that the two are a package deal."

"Noted." Marci nodded, before leaving the lecture theatre with a smug grin on her face.

Of course, as expected, when the project partners were announced, Foggy made a fuss. Marci rolled her eyes, and of course she didn't take it personally, but it was quite amusing her to watch Matt having to constantly reassure him that doing one project with a different partner wasn't going to affect their friendship in any way whatsoever. Eventually, Foggy did relent, and soon enough, the two of them were exchanging their numbers and organising when they would meet up to discuss the case they had been assigned.

Marci knew that dressing up to meet someone for a class project was about as lame as you could get, but for some reason Foggy made her lose her usual rationality, even though he wasn't even her boyfriend. They were meeting at a coffee shop on campus. He showed up 10 minutes late, apologising profusely. She told him not to worry about it and the two of them knuckled down and got on with their case for class. As she had expected, the two of them did work well together, and they approached problems in a similar way. She also found that the man that she'd been admiring all throughout law school, was even more intriguing up close. Sometimes he would be confident in his answers and not need any validation, and then the next minute he'd stutter and be insecure. At first, Marci found the constant shifting slightly jarring, but by the end of their study session she found it more endearing than anything.

As he got up to leave, she plucked up the courage to do what she had intended from the start.

"Hey Foggy?" she calls, making him pause with a curious look on his face, waiting to hear her question. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to meet up like this again, but you know- without the studying part?"

Foggy took a moment to register her question, before both his eyebrows raised. He stayed silent a moment longer before crossing his arms across his chest and letting a scowl fall on his face. "Look Marci, this was great and we're a great team, but you asking me out on a date… well , I just need you to know that if this an attempt to flirt with me to get into Matt' s pants, he's really not looking for anyone at the moment."

Marci smiled, her lost confidence returning to her as she chuckled. "Actually, my flirting with you was an attempt to get into your pants, not Matt's, funnily enough."

Foggy did a double take, and a blush crept into his cheeks. "Is this a joke?"

"I'm not really the joking kind," Marci shrugged.

An awkward silence held them apart for a while longer, causing Marci to prompt Foggy for an answer.

He thought a moment longer before smiling back at his project partner. "Yeah, a date sounds good. I'll text you about it."

A satisfied smile fell on her face at his answer. "See you around, Nelson."

"You too, Stahl." he said, awkwardly saluting her as he left.

As she sat by herself surrounded by case files and coffee, she laughed to herself, when she saw out the window Foggy and Matt laughing hysterically at something probably only the two of them would understand. Oh yes- they intrigued her: The blonde haired lawyer and his blind sidekick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I hope it was alright! Also, I know Marci may seem a bit OOC in this, but I hope I managed to get across elements of her that we see in the show. I'll only know if you let me know, so please do with a little review!

**Author's Note:**

> That was the first one-shot. I know it was nearly all dialogue, but I hope at least that it was fun and cute dialogue. The next will be better hopefully. I'll update as soon as I write something. I can't tell you when that will be though considering I have exams next month and two other multichapter stories on the go…


End file.
